Silicone sex toys.
It’s the magic word in the sex toy industry. It’s the go-to for body-safe options. But, like most chemically things in life, most of us really don’t know what we are sticking in our bodies. From the ground or laboratory to our bedrooms, we simply trust (or don’t think about) whatever mysterious process gave birth to our butt plugs and dildos.
So today, let’s take a look at how silicone is actually made and why people love it…
SILICONE SEX TOYS – BASIC IDEAS
Okay, let’s start with the parts that won’t melt the brain – why is silicone so popular?
One main element to any good sex toy is hygiene. Simply, is it easy to clean and sterilized?
For lack of a better comparison, imagine the pores in your skin. Makeup, oils, and other junk can get stuck in there and you need to give things a deep, intense washing to get things clean. Even then, we sometimes miss something or just can’t get it 100% sparkling. Now imagine these little pores/micro-holes on your sex toys. Bodily fluids, mold, and bacteria, etc., can get “stuck” in the microscopic dips and crevices. Then … you put that into YOUR, well … crevices.
This can lead to infections, STIs, and other unhappiness.
Materials like silicone, glass, properly sealed wood or ceramic, and ABS plastic are considered “body-safe” – their surfaces are non-porous and nasties can’t hide anywhere and are easily washed away with something as simple as soap and warm water.
So, how is silicone made?
SCIENCY STUFF INCOMING!
This stuff is everywhere – from automatic to aerospace.
It’s used in adhesives, sealants, lubricants, medicine, cooking utensils, and electrical insulation. It’s an incredibly versatile material that can come in various forms such as oil, grease, rubber, resin, and caulk. Silicone can also be referred to as “polymerized siloxanes” or “polysiloxanes”.
First, the non-brain-melting version…
Silicone is a compound that is made from natural materials (like silicon) and man-made materials. Its molecular “backbone” is repeated silicon and oxygen atoms. It’s also tetravalent – this means the atom can form FOUR stable bonds around it.
All of this means it’s got a really long “chain” that, when combined with other materials as well as various temperatures, can take on many different forms and textures – from gels to solids.
Second, the brain-melting version…
- A silicone is “any of a number of [a] polymers that include any synthetic compound made up of repeating units of [b] siloxane.”
- [A] Polymers can be anything from synthetic plastics to natural biopolymers such as proteins or DNA.
- [B] A siloxane is “a chain of alternating silicon atoms and oxygen atoms, combined with carbon, hydrogen, and sometimes other elements.” It’s basically a silicon-oxygen [c] backbone chain (⋯–Si–O–Si–O–Si–O–⋯).
- [C] A backbone chain (in polymer science, the study of plastics and elastomers) of a polymer is the longest series of [d] covalently bonded atoms that together create the continuous chain of the molecule.
- [D] Valency is the measurement of an element’s combining power with other atoms to form chemical compounds or molecules. Silicone is tetravalent – having the capacity of an atom to form four stable bonds around it.
- Silicones have in general the chemical formula [R2SiO]n, where R is an organic group such as an alkyl (methyl, ethyl) or phenyl group.
- The silicone-making process involves extracting silicon (not to be confused with siliconE) from silica (from sand) and passing it through hydrocarbons.
- The resulting stiff “gum” can be “crosslinked” at a high temperature using either peroxides or polyaddition curing. This creates a solid, but elastic material.
WHAT DOES THIS ALL MEAN?
Well, the first thing to take away from all this is that silicone is a pretty awesome material. Its composition can take on many forms and the solid/rigid version is excellent for sex toys because its surface is easy to clean and non-toxic.
There is a weird “downside” though.
It’s not an environmentally friendly product, yet still considered “green”.
Be under no illusions – silicone is not a biodegradable product like wood or glass. Its final form (at least for sex toys) is in the plastic family. However, when we compare it to things like jelly, toxic rubber, or ABS plastic, it’s a material that gets nudged into the “better for the environment” side of the scale because of its durability and lifespan.
Silicone toys (pure, properly made ones) are an investment. They are something that should stay with you for a long while.
Instead of getting a cheap, plastic vibrator that will break after a few uses, and then tossing it out only to buy a new (still cheap) one, you are staying with one product for longer. That’s also less shipping pollutants etc.
Finally, if they are solid toys that cannot break (instead of vibrators with machine and/or electrical parts) they will be in your toy chest for years and still be great, safe fun.
Want more interesting articles? You might like these…
- Sex Toys 101 – A Positive and Detailed Beginner’s Guide
- Anal Toys – A Huge Guide to Everything You Stick Up Your Bum
- How to Save Money on Sex Toys and Other Adult Products
Anything else you want to add about silicone sex toys? Share in the comments!
